Vehicle navigation systems are used to determine a user's present position using global positioning system data. The present position is then displayed via a geocoded and annotated map. Example mapping data may include topographical, road network, and point of interest information. Such information is typically communicated to the navigation system from a remote geospatial database or accessed from an onboard memory location.
A recommended travel route may be determined by a navigation system based on the shortest time or distance between a route origin and a route destination for a given trip. The recommended travel route is then displayed as a map trace and/or as turn-by-turn driving directions. Such conventional approaches to route planning, while effective at determining the shortest distance or travel time, are less than optimal for determining the most energy efficient of available routes or for optimally controlling operation of the vehicle.